Collect Cisco switch logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Cisco switch logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Cisco switches generate syslog messages for port state changes, spanning tree events, ACL matches, authentication, and system operations. The parser extracts fields using grok patterns and maps them to the Unified Data Model (UDM).

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • A Google SecOps instance
  • Windows Server 2016 or later, or Linux host with systemd
  • Network connectivity between the Bindplane agent and the Cisco switch
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Privileged access to the Cisco switch CLI

Get Google SecOps ingestion authentication file

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agents.
  3. Download the Ingestion Authentication File

  4. Save the file securely on the system where the Bindplane agent will be installed.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.

  3. Copy and save the Customer ID from the Organization Details section.

Install the Bindplane agent

Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux operating system according to the following instructions.

Windows installation

  1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.

  2. Run the following command:

    msiexec /i "https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi" /quiet

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

    sc query observiq-otel-collector

    The service should show as RUNNING.

Linux installation

  1. Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.

  2. Run the following command:

    sudo sh -c "$(curl -fsSlL https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh)" install_unix.sh

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

    sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

    The service should show as active (running).

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options and troubleshooting, see Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

  • Linux:

    sudo nano /etc/bindplane-agent/config.yaml

  • Windows:

    notepad "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\config.yaml"

Edit the configuration file

  • Replace the entire contents of config.yaml with the following configuration:

    receivers:
    udplog:
        listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

exporters:
    chronicle/cisco_switch:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: CISCO_SWITCH
        raw_log_field: body

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/cisco_switch_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/cisco_switch

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

  • Receiver configuration:

    • listen_address: IP address and port to listen on:
      • 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces (recommended)
      • Port 514 is the standard syslog port (requires root on Linux; use 1514 for non-root)

  • Exporter configuration:

    • creds_file_path: Full path to ingestion authentication file:
      • Linux: /etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json
      • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
    • customer_id: Customer ID copied from the Google SecOps console
    • endpoint: Regional endpoint URL:
      • US: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • Europe: europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • Asia: asia-southeast1-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • See Regional Endpoints for complete list

Save the configuration file

  • After editing, save the file:
    • Linux: Press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X
    • Windows: Click File > Save

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

  • To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux, run the following command:

    sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector

    1. Verify the service is running:

      ```bash
sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
```

    2. Check logs for errors:

      ```bash
sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f
```

  • To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows, choose one of the following options:

    • Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator:

      net stop observiq-otel-collector && net start observiq-otel-collector

    • Services console:

      1. Press Win+R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
      2. Locate observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector.
      3. Right-click and select Restart.

      4. Verify the service is running:

        sc query observiq-otel-collector

      5. Check logs for errors:

        type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"

Configure syslog on a Cisco switch

  1. Sign in to the Cisco Switch.

  2. Escalate privileges:

    enable

  3. Switch to configuration mode:

    conf t

  4. Configure syslog:

    logging host <BINDPLANE_IP> transport <tcp/udp> port <PORT>
logging source-interface <INTERFACE>
    • Replace <BINDPLANE_IP> with the Bindplane agent IP address.
    • Replace <tcp/udp> with the configured listening protocol (for example, udp).
    • Replace <INTERFACE> with the Cisco interface ID.

  5. Set the priority level:

    logging trap Informational
logging console Informational
logging severity Informational

  6. Set the syslog facility:

    logging facility local6

  7. Enable timestamps:

    service timestamps log datetime

  8. Save and exit.

  9. Save the configuration to survive restart:

    copy running-config startup-config

UDM mapping table

Log field UDM mapping Logic
action security_result.action_details Value of this field is derived from the action field in the raw log.
day
description metadata.description Value of this field is derived from the description field in the raw log.
description security_result.description Value of this field is derived from the description field in the raw log.
destination_ip target.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the destination_ip field in the raw log.
destination_ip target.ip Value of this field is derived from the destination_ip field in the raw log.
destination_port target.port Value of this field is derived from the destination_port field in the raw log.
device principal.asset.hostname Value of this field is derived from the device field in the raw log.
device principal.hostname Value of this field is derived from the device field in the raw log.
device target.asset.hostname Value of this field is derived from the device field in the raw log.
device target.hostname Value of this field is derived from the device field in the raw log.
device_ip principal.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the device_ip field in the raw log.
device_ip principal.ip Value of this field is derived from the device_ip field in the raw log.
device_ip target.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the device_ip field in the raw log.
device_ip target.ip Value of this field is derived from the device_ip field in the raw log.
facility principal.resource.type Value of this field is derived from the facility field in the raw log.
header_data metadata.product_log_id Value of this field is derived from the header_data field in the raw log.
header_data target.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the header_data field in the raw log.
header_data target.ip Value of this field is derived from the header_data field in the raw log.
hostname principal.asset.hostname Value of this field is derived from the hostname field in the raw log.
hostname principal.hostname Value of this field is derived from the hostname field in the raw log.
ip principal.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the ip field in the raw log.
ip principal.ip Value of this field is derived from the ip field in the raw log.
ip_address principal.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the ip_address field in the raw log.
ip_address principal.ip Value of this field is derived from the ip_address field in the raw log.
ip_protocol network.ip_protocol Value of this field is derived from the ip_protocol field in the raw log.
mac principal.mac Value of this field is derived from the mac field in the raw log.
mnemonic network.dhcp.opcode Value of this field is derived from the mnemonic field in the raw log.
mnemonic metadata.product_event_type Value of this field is derived from the mnemonic field in the raw log.
month
p_ip principal.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the p_ip field in the raw log.
p_ip principal.ip Value of this field is derived from the p_ip field in the raw log.
port target.port Value of this field is derived from the port field in the raw log.
priority
protocol network.ip_protocol Value of this field is derived from the protocol field in the raw log.
reason
rule security_result.rule_id Value of this field is derived from the rule field in the raw log.
sec_result_action security_result.action Value of this field is derived from the sec_result_action field in the raw log.
severity
source principal.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the source field in the raw log.
source principal.ip Value of this field is derived from the source field in the raw log.
source_ip network.dhcp.ciaddr Value of this field is derived from the source_ip field in the raw log.
source_ip principal.asset.ip Value of this field is derived from the source_ip field in the raw log.
source_ip principal.ip Value of this field is derived from the source_ip field in the raw log.
source_mac network.dhcp.chaddr Value of this field is derived from the source_mac field in the raw log.
source_port principal.port Value of this field is derived from the source_port field in the raw log.
summary security_result.summary Value of this field is derived from the summary field in the raw log.
time
timezone
user principal.user.userid Value of this field is derived from the user field in the raw log.
user target.user.userid Value of this field is derived from the user field in the raw log.
when
year
extensions.auth.type MACHINE
metadata.log_type CISCO_SWITCH
metadata.vendor_name Cisco
metadata.product_name Cisco Switch
network.application_protocol DHCP
network.dhcp.type REQUEST

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